


A Bad Place to Meet

by PunQueen



Series: Ally's List of Places [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Compound, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, Gen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27514594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunQueen/pseuds/PunQueen
Summary: Tony Stark was just going to a party. When he catches a little girl sneaking around, what's he to do but stop her from causing trouble?OrIn which Ally wants a jumpsuit.
Series: Ally's List of Places [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010916
Comments: 28
Kudos: 31





	1. Tony Meets Ally

Tony Stark doesn’t have a habit of accidentally meeting people. He’s usually expecting to socialize in the settings he enters. The people he meets are important. 

Usually. 

Tony also never spent much time around kids, but then he had his own kid, and that changed things a little. Or a lot. He spent a lot of time with Morgan. Currently, however, Morgan was at home with her mom and Tony was at the compound after a successful long-term mission. Not that he’d taken any part of it, he’d just been invited to celebrate.   
  
He didn’t think he’d be meeting a little girl who looked slightly out of place in her jeans and deep blue sweater. She was peering around the corner with a look Tony recognized all too well: trouble. 

He cleared his throat and the little girl straightened. She was shorter than Morgan. Probably younger, too. “Hello there.” 

She slid back cautiously, mischief turning to suspicion. “Hi.” 

He crouched down to her height. “You look a little small to be an agent, but I’ve seen smaller. Are you an agent?” 

She shook her head and her short brown curls followed the movement. Her hair, at least, looked ready for a party. “Not yet, but when I’m thirteen, I can be a junior agent.” 

“A junior agent, huh?” asked Tony. He’d never heard about that. “So, what should I call you until you’re a junior agent, little miss?” 

She frowned at him and took another step back. “Are you supposed to be here?” she deflected. 

“I’m not really sure. There’s supposed to be a party somewhere nearby, do think you could show me?” 

“Maybe,” she replied. She looked him up and down. “You need a tie.” 

“Do I?” he questioned. 

She nodded. “And a jacket. Mommy made daddy wear one. She said it’s because he needs to look put together because he’s important. Daddy said he thinks it’s because she liked having a leash on him, but I think it was a joke. I’m waiting for Mommy and Auntie Nat and Auntie Maria to be done, but daddy’s already at the party.” 

He glanced down the hall. If he took a left at the end of it, he’d be going towards the Avengers suites. Her mom must’ve been someone special to be with Natasha and Maria. 

“Are you going to the party?” he asked. 

“Do I look like I’m going to the party?” she scoffed. Sassy… Maybe he should schedule a playdate with Morgan, the two would get along well. “Mommy’s probably going to make me, anyways. She says I should meet other agents and I think that’s silly because I do that all the time. Are you an agent?” 

Tony shook his head. “Not really. I used to be Iron Man, but I retired. Hey, do your parents know where you are?” 

She shrugged. “Mommy thinks I’m with daddy, but daddy thinks mommy has my dress.” 

So no, they didn’t. “And your mom’s with Natasha and Maria, huh?” 

She nodded. “I hid my dress in Auntie Nat’s room last time I visited her.” 

“Really? I think you should probably go get changed,” said Tony. “You’re going to need a dress.” 

“No, I don’t. Auntie Nat’s wearing a jumpsuit,” she said. “I saw it. And I’m going to take a picture so mommy doesn’t keep making me wear dresses.” 

She pulled a camera from her sweater pocket and held it up for Tony to see. “Well, I think it’s a little late to buy a new outfit kiddo. What’s your name anyways?” 

“Mommy says I shouldn’t give my name to strangers.” 

Did this kid have a remark for everything? “Well, that’s kind of how you meet new people, you give your name to them and they give their name to you. And didn’t you say your mom wanted you to go to the party so you could meet other people.” 

“Other _agents_. You’re not an agent. And said she wanted me to meet them at the party.” 

“Well, I don’t think this is a bad place to meet,” said Tony. “I’m Tony Stark, I used to be Iron Man. So, now I’m not a stranger.” 

“I-” She let out a little gasp. “Sh, they’re coming.” She shooed him back, getting her camera ready. 

Surely enough, he could hear the clicking of heels and voices a minute later from his spot around the corner. He didn’t know how the girl had heard it before then.

The little girl held her camera as she waited. Tony merely stepped out from his spot. 

“Well, look who it is,” he said jovially as a quiet “No, what?” sounded behind him. 

“Tony,” greeted Steve. “Good to see you could make it.” 

The men embraced for a moment before Tony turned to the ladies, kissing the cheeks of those he knew. “Barnes,” he said simply when he saw the man. The man nodded in return. 

“Now I must be forgetting my manners, I’m Tony Stark,” he introduced. 

“Amelia Clawson,” said the unfamiliar woman, shaking his hand. She must’ve been the girl’s mom. “Good to meet you.” 

“Same for you, a guest of honor, I hear. Although a little someone told me that parties were the place for meeting people,” he said loudly, stepping back to face the girl who was _still_ hiding. 

Her eyes widened as he gave her a look. “You ruined my plan!” 

“Ally?” asked Amelia, peering around the corner. “Why aren’t you changed yet? You’re supposed to be with your father.” 

“Daddy couldn’t find my dress,” said the girl. _Ally_. Her name is Ally.

“That’s ridiculous. You have a half a dozen dresses in your closet.” 

“They don’t fit anymore. They were from before you were away,” said Ally, “and my dress is in Auntie Nat’s room.” 

“Really? And why is that?” Amelia seemed far from surprised at the statement.

“Because daddy said you were spending time with the ladies and I’m a lady.” 

“So you thought you were going to be invited.” 

“I’m five now! I’m old enough! And Steve and Bucky aren’t even ladies. And look, Auntie Nat’s not wearing a dress! Why do I need a dress?” 

“You’ve got a few more years before you can join us in getting ready, myshka,” said Natasha, tapping the girl on her nose. “Steve and Bucky just happened to leave at the same time as we did. And is that a comms unit?” 

The girl blushed, hand moving up to her ear and quickly into her pocket. “Um, no.” 

Natasha held her hand out expectantly and Ally handed over the earpiece. 

“What did I tell you about playing with grown-up things?” asked Amelia.

“Not to. But I wasn’t! I was gonna take a picture of Auntie Nat in her jumpsuit and I was listening for when to be ready.” 

So that was how she knew they were coming. “Sneaky,” said Barnes. 

“Don’t encourage her,” said the three woman at once. Barnes’ mouth clicked shut.

Ally gave a long, tired whine. “But I don’t wanna wear a dress, and I don’t wanna go to the party.” 

“Allison, we talked about this,” said Amelia, exasperation seeping into her tone. “We have to be there. It’ll be fun.” 

“No it won’t. There’s no one my age. There’s _never_ anyone my age, and everyone is just talking, there’s nothing to do,” she said. Tony could hear the edge of a tantrum coming. He winced. “And I wasn’t even there, why do I always have to go?” 

“Allison. Come on, you’re getting into your dress and then we’re going,” ordered Amelia. She took Ally’s hand, but the girl pulled away and marched towards the Avengers suites by herself. 

Amelia sighed. “I’m sorry, she’s usually far more well behaved,” she apologized. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her.” 

Tony smiled with understanding. “No worries, I’ve got one of my own at home. I know what it’s like.” 

“How’s Morgan?” asked Steve, as Amelia and Maria left, “She’s with Pepper, I’m guessing?” 

Tony nodded. “Everyone’s doing fine. It’s hard to believe she’ll be seven soon.” 

“Really? Already?” asked Steve, continuing his walk to the party with the remaining group members. “It feels like yesterday I was in your living room watching her toddle around.” 

“I know, right?” 

So Tony passed some time catching up with old friends and talking with acquaintances and some of SHIELD’s best scientists, while keeping an eye out for a curly haired little girl. 

He saw her, eventually, in a man’s arms. Probably her father’s. 

Tony made his rounds, approaching the group eventually. “I hear you’re the man who led the team,” he said as he approached. Tony held out his hand.

“That I am,” said the man. He shifted Ally onto one arm. “Matt Clawson.” 

Tony shook the offered hand. “Tony Stark. What a beautiful dress that little lady has on,” he complimented. 

“Can you say thank you, Ally?” asked Matt. 

Ally turned around, the words obviously on her tongue, but she shut her mouth instead. Tony caught sight of her still red eyes as she glared. 

“Ally, manners, please,” prompted Matt. 

“He ruined my plan,” she grumbled. 

Matt grimaced. “I have no idea what she’s talking about, but thank you.” 

“She was trying to get a picture of Natasha in her jumpsuit earlier,” said Tony. “I ran into her in the hall while she was still in her sweater.” 

“Ah,” Matt frowned. “Interesting.” 

“Yeah. I’ve got a trickster at home, too,” shared Tony. “Always getting into places she doesn’t belong.” 

“How old?” 

“Seven,” he said, “and I’ve been trying to find her a few more friends.” 

Matt hummed. “Well, Ally here is five, and I think she wants some more friends, too. Don’t you Ally? You’ll be seven in a couple of years.” 

Ally nodded. 

“What’s her name?” her father asked Tony. 

“Morgan,” said Tony. “We live about thirty minutes away from here. Not too far, not too close.” 

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard. How’s that working out? Is Morgan being taught from home or does she come here?” 

“Public school, actually,” said Tony. “We wanted her to get out, make some friends. It’s worked out great so far. She’s skipping a grade, actually, but socially, it’s good for her.” 

Ally quietly requested her father set her down so she could find someone, and he did. He didn’t seem terribly concerned about where she was going as the men continued their talk, exchanging phone numbers and times that worked out, ultimately deciding on a weekend. 

Tony continued his socializing, but left before it got too late. He did meet a few people during the event, but hallways, he decided, weren’t a bad place to meet. 


	2. Ally meets Morgan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Starks host a playdate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very dialogue heavy.... Here it is though! Ally and Morgan finally meeting.

Morgan was seven. That meant she could go to school, do her chores by herself, and play fairly, all of which she was reminded on that weekend morning. 

“Maguna,” called her dad. “Where’d you run off to? Our guests are going to be here soon.” 

“Mom said I had to make my bed,” she answered, running back out. Her dad had said that he had set up a playdate for her with one of the kids he met at a boring party. 

“Alright, ready to have fun?” he asked, squatting down to her level. 

“Yeah!” 

“I think I hear them coming up the driveway, let's go check.” 

Morgan ran ahead of her father, unlocking the door and watching from the porch as a black car pulled to a stop. A man and woman stepped out first, the girl’s parents. The man walked up to them as the woman followed, the girl’s hand in hers. 

“Stark,” greeted the man. 

“Just call me Tony. It was Matt, right?” asked Morgan’s dad, shaking the other man’s hand. “And Amelia.”

“Right. And you must be Morgan,” said Matt. He knelt down and offered her a hand. 

“Yeah,” she replied, shaking like her father had. She looked around him to the other girl. 

Matt stood and moved her in front of him. “This is Allison.” 

“Ally,” she corrected. “Hi.” 

“Hi,” returned Morgan. 

“Well, why don’t you all come inside? Morgan, you can show Ally some of your toys, hm?” 

“Okay. Come on, they’re in my room.” Morgan watched to make sure Ally was following as she walked in and led Ally up the stairs. “What do you want to play? We can play dress up or with my dolls or cars or blocks.” 

“I like cars,” said Ally quietly. Morgan pulled the container from its location and set it on the floor. 

“You can come choose,” she said, already digging through. “This one’s my favorite, my dad has one like it. He has a lot of cars, like real ones, but he doesn’t use all of them.”

Ally made her way to the container, watching as Morgan rifled through. “That’s... cool.”

Morgan finally found the object of her search, a black car like the one Ally had come in. “Yeah. Here, this one’s like yours, if you want it.” 

Ally accepted the toy. “Thanks. Do you have any blue cars? That’s my favorite color.” 

“Maybe,” said Morgan, dumping them all out to make the search easier. “My favorite color is red and my other is gold, like my dad. He used to be Iron Man. But blue is my mom’s favorite color. She has a suit, too, so she’s an Iron Lady, but my dad says she’s the CEO of his company and that’s more important.” 

Ally had finally found a blue car that she liked, and was now pushing it around. “What’s a CEO?” 

“It means she’s the boss.” 

“Oh.” 

“Mmhmmm, what do your parents do?” 

“Um, they, um, they’re like really special police,” said Ally, pushing some of her hair back. 

“Like the FBI?”

Ally pushed her hair back again as it fell. “Um, yeah. I’m going to see if my mom has a ponytail.” 

“You can borrow one of mine,” said Morgan, quickly standing and retrieving one from the drawer it belonged to. “Do you need me to do it for you? My mom taught me how to braid, I bet I can braid your hair.” 

Ally fidgeted nervously, tugging on her hair before shaking her head. “No thank you. I want my mom to do it.” 

So Morgan showed the girl downstairs to the living room, where the adults were all sitting. 

“Hey there, kiddos,” said Morgan’s dad. “Having fun?” 

The girls nodded and Ally approached her mom. “Can you help me with a ponytail?” 

“Let me see if I have one,” said Amelia, digging through her bag. 

“She can borrow one of mine.” Morgan held it up. “She said she doesn’t want me to do her hair, though.” 

Pepper, who had joined soon after the kids had made their way upstairs, praised her daughter. “Good job respecting boundaries, Morgan.” 

Morgan nodded and handed Amelia the scrunchie. Amelia was quick to thank the girl, sending her mom an appreciative smile as she tied her daughter’s hair up. “Off you go.” 

They played with the cars for a while more before Ally asked “What do you do alone all the time?” 

“What do you mean?” replied Morgan. 

“You’re so far away. You don’t have any neighbors or anyone,” explained Ally. “It looks really lonely.”

Morgan shrugged. “It’s not that bad. We have people come over a lot, and my mom and dad let me go to my friends’ houses after school sometimes.”

“Oh. What grade are you in?” 

“I’m in second. What grade are you in?” 

“Kindergarten.”

“Kindergarten is fun. I used to have two recesses, but now I’m in second grade so I only have one, but we get to play with the third graders.” 

“We only get two recesses on Fridays,” said Ally. “Instead of two gym classes.” 

“Why do you have two gym classes? I only have gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays on A weeks, but on B weeks we have it on Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays.” 

“You don’t have gym every day? That’s weird,” answered Ally. “What are A weeks?” 

“They’re… A weeks,” said Morgan, not really knowing how to explain it. “It means we have gym as our twice a week special.” 

“What?” asked Ally. “Gym’s not special.” Everyone in SHIELD took gym. Even the grown ups had special gym time in the fancy gym with all the equipment.

“Yeah it is. Like art and music. It means we don’t have it every day.” 

“We have art time every day,” said Ally, not understanding what the other girl was saying. 

“That’s cuz you’re in kindergarten,” said Morgan. “Kindergarteners don’t do as much as big kids.” 

Ally sat up. “That’s not true!” 

“Yeah it is. You only learn like, counting and stuff,” smarted Morgan. “And how to read.” 

“Nuh-uh!” said Ally. “My teacher, Mrs. Martin, she says it’s important because we have to learn fundamentals and that everything is based on fundamentals.” 

“I bet you don’t even know what that means,” brushed off Morgan. 

“I do too!” 

“What’s it mean, then?” 

“I’m not telling you.” 

“That’s because you don’t know.” 

Ally crossed her arms and got up, setting her toys down in the bin. “I don’t want to play anymore.” 

Morgan rolled her eyes. “You’re just mad I’m right.” 

Ally stopped, fighting with herself over whether to walk away or fight about it. She didn’t feel like standing around, so she cleaned up some more of the toys Morgan had dumped out. 

“Hey, where are you going?” asked Morgan as Ally left. 

Ally grumbled, but said nothing before going down the way Morgan had shown her earlier. It was easy to walk up to her parents and force herself between them on the couch. “I’m taking a break,” she informed them. 

Tony and Pepper looked at the small girl in surprise. “Is something wrong, honey?” asked Pepper. 

Ally shied away from her concern, burying herself into her dad’s side with a no. 

“What color is this break?” asked Matt, knowing his daughter well enough to see that she was lying. 

“Mmmn… Purple and maroon and gray.” Nervous, tired, and confused.

Ally spent a few moments trying to get comfortable, basically hiding behind her dad as her mom explained quietly. “A lot of times, kids growing up in SHIELD see adults as being very mild-mannered, so to speak. So kids identify and name emotions using colors or animals as a way to help them process. She’d tell us if she wanted to go home,” Amelia assured them. 

“Codewords, huh?” smirked Tony. “Any chance we can be let in on the secret?” 

“That’s up to Ally,” said Matt as Ally moved more and more behind him. “We have a list. Normally she likes to hand it over herself. It gets interesting when kids give each other their lists.” 

“It’s not universal?” asked Pepper. 

Amelia shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Kids choose. A lot of them are pretty common, like yellow for happy.” Ally made a small noise of complaint. “I’m not going to say the whole list, don’t worry.” 

“Morgan doesn’t have gym every day,” complained Ally, resting against her father’s back. Her arms hung loosely around his neck. “Or art. And she said that kindergarteners don’t learn as much so that’s why I have art more than she does, but that’s not true.” 

“I’m sure you learn plenty in kindergarten,” said Tony. “Morgan, could you get down here please?” 

Morgan entered the living room with a pouty face, too soon to have been in her room. “It’s true, you only learn counting and stuff.” 

“Imagine trying to learn your addition and subtraction tables if you didn’t know how to count,” said Pepper. “Or trying to read when you can’t sound words out.”

“You can’t,” said Morgan. She sighed and turned to Ally. "I'm sorry for saying you don't learn things in kindergarten." 

"I accept your apology," said Ally. "I'm sorry I got mad instead of talking about it." 

"It's okay. Wanna go color?" offered Morgan. 

Ally leaned against her dad a bit more heavily. “Can we take a break for a little?” she requested. 

“Why don’t I get you kids a snack?” suggested Pepper. “Does Ally have any allergies?” 

“Just shellfish,” said Amelia. “Other than that, no food allergies. And she’ll eat just about anything you give her.” 

“Ah, that must be nice,” said Tony as Pepper left for the kitchen. “I’m still trying to get this one to finish all her veggies at dinnertime.” He gave Morgan a look and she crossed her arms, settling in the seat her mom had left.

“Veggies are yummy,” said Ally. “They’re important because you need all your vitamins so you can feel good.” 

“That’s right,” agreed Tony. “Do you eat all your fruits and veggies?” 

Ally nodded. “Except grapefruit. It’s yucky. It doesn’t even taste like grapes.” 

The adults all laughed. “I suppose it should be renamed then, huh, Ally?” asked Matt. 

Ally nodded in agreement. “They should name it  _ sourfruit _ . Or pinkfruit, because it’s pink inside.” 

“Like naming an orange,” said Morgan. “I like oranges.” 

Ally moved back around to her father’s side. “I like them too, but not as much as I like mango. What’s your favorite fruit?” 

“Grapes,” said Morgan decisively. “The green ones.” 

Ally nodded and the two children ended up in a conversation about the best fruits and veggies and how to have them. Pepper came around with two grilled cheeses and a bowl of grapes for each of them, which they enjoyed sitting on the floor. 

After the snacks were over and the adults began to finish conversing, it was time for the Clawson family to take their leave. The girls were both dejected for a short time before their parents promised they’d see each other again soon. It was a strong start to a long friendship. 


End file.
